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2009-11-23 - Slavestate Interview
Slavestate '''published part two of their '''Dead by April article/interview with Jimmie Strimell on November 23, 2009. The first part of the interview can be found here. During this part Jimmie discusses among others the expression "sellout", the Metal Town show and Slipknot. The interview was written by Isabella Qwist. Script ::: The interview was done in Swedish and is therefore translated into English. : As with many other bands today, style, appearance, and Internet are key components of Dead by April's success and just as for many others it started with MySpace. Jimmie and Pontus (Hjelm, guitar and vocals) placed two songs on the website and after adding loads of friends a hype started; the rest is history. The fierce look with the many tattoos was however nothing they worked out in the same way. Jimmie Strimell: I have been this tattoed since I was twenty years and it kind of just had to catch on in style. Saying that, it might make us look a little cooler and get a harder look outward. : With Dead by April it has always been about contrasts, contrasts between the dark and the light, the hard and the soft. The hard image meets pop choruses and performing at TV4 Sommarkrysset. Critics argue that Dead by April are a bunch of "sellouts", something that Jimmie does not have any problem with, he thinks the contrary, that it is something you are longing to be. Jimmie Strimell: What band does not wanna sell records? You don't sign a record contract and go out on tour and fight like pigs and then end up not able to get anything out of it! I do not understand the word "sellout", what is wrong with it and why are people talking so much about it when it comes to bands? Call me "sellout", if that's what I am I stand by it. Jimmie Strimell: The fact that we got the chance to play at Sommarkrysset with a song like Losing You was absolutely fantastic fun and a great thing to do, both for us and for the music industry I think. People are so afraid of being able to enjoy music with growl-singing and to my knowledge it has never before in the history of Sweden happened that a band have appeared on television on a commercial channel like TV4 with a song like that. : The fact that the band was signed so quickly to a major label like Universal isn't a problem. Beside the fact it is easier to get gigs Jimmie doesn't see any difference to be signed to a smaller label. Jimmie Strimell: I've been playing death metal (in Nightrage) and in that genre you're not reaching out to people in the same way. Or well, there was no opportunity for the same budget in that genre which I think is sad because there's so many great metal and death metal bands out there that never reaches the masses. : Dead By April have undoubtedly reached out to the crowd, the fact that the first single was included in the Robinson trailer helped. When speaking of Losing You I ask Jimmie if he would be willing to particiapte in the survival program. Jimmie Strimell:Yes, I actually think I could handle it. Or when I think about it, I probably would not palletized it. I'm a crybaby who get pissed when I'm hungry and misses home during a long time. I have two sons and one unbelievable pretty girlfriend that I miss. Despite the overwhelming success of the first single Losing You Jimmie is not afraid to be a "one hit wonder", he trusts Dead by April's loyal fan base. A fan base that didn't got to hear the mega-hit when the band opened Metaltown last summer. The band had expected to be back on the scene after their 45-minute set to end with Losing You, but had already played over time. Jimmie Strimell: Obviously, we talked too much, perhaps, for when we went out to see if the audience wanted us back again, some responsible guy was pissed and refused to let us go out again. So it was a fucking miss, we just wanted to run out and play the song and get the whole Metaltown to swing but no, that did not happen. : Metaltown turned out to be more than just disappointments. Slipknot played on the same day and Shawn "Clown" Crahan caught the eye for Dead by April. Through various record label people he tried to steer up a meeting backstage at the Finnish festival Ruis Rock. Jimmie Strimell: We thought it would be crazy fun. But unfortunately we had gigs in England the next day and had to leave almost immediately after our gig to not miss the check-in at the airport half past three the next morning. It felt very hard for me of course because I have worshiped Slipknot since their first album was released. : Jimmie is pleased though that his old idol made a remix of their second single Angels of Clarity. : So Slipknot is listening to Dead by April. "What are Dead by April listening to right now?" Jimmie ask the question straight out in the bus where he sits and Marcus responds while Jimmie laughs. Marcus Wesslén: Dark Funeral, Peter Jöback och Michael Jackson! : Speaking of bus travelling we continue with something much more serious. There are rumors circulating that Jimmie during a German tour with Nightrage encountered with a teacher who had a very special mind regarding the concentration camps and I asked for an explanation. Jimmie Strimell: Well it's not quite right, we were in Poland. He was a racist and had very strong opinions about Jews and it became very unpleasant during the evening. We did not really agree because we had four people with us in our crew who are Jews. It is perhaps not so interesting for Dead by April's audience to read about. Q: Have you experienced something similar on tour with Dead by April? Jimmie Strimell: Nope, and I hope we do not have to." : We rapidly change topic. After seeing the band perform in Sheffield I ask Jimmie to choose one of the steel city's musical prides; Bring Me the Horizon, Def Leppard, 65daysofstatic or Arctic Monkeys. He says he is only familiar with two of them. Jimmie Strimell: Def Leppard's nothing I listen to personally, so I'll just say that would prefer to blow my speakers out with Bring Me the Horizons music, even though I do not directly dig the style of their music either. They do have one or two songs I can go at. Q: What is Dead by April doing in five years? Jimmie Strimell: Then hopefully we have taken over the world! : The outlook is perhaps not completely unreal. The winter seems to be a busy agenda for the group, which now also has signed contracts with Universal in both Germany and Japan. Jimmie Strimell: It's no bed of roses, it's not! You have to prove yourself in all territories, otherwise it will be "bye bye" pretty quickly I think.